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As the 2024 Paris Olympics kick off, we highlight the 10 best Olympic sneakers of all time.
The 1992 Barcelona Olympics changed the landscape of men’s basketball forever.
It was the first time in history professional players would be used in an Olympic competition, paving the way for brands to get eyes on their products on an international stage. We’ve seen some iconic on-court moments in Olympic history.
Here are 10 of the best Olympic sneakers of all time.
Air Jordan 7 “Olympic”
1992
Entering the Olympics, Michael Jordan had just won his second consecutive NBA Championship and MVP Award. Throughout the historic season, MJ laced up the Air Jordan 7, which had an extremely successful retail run.
Given the success he had during the NBA season, Nike gave Mike an Olympic-themed colorway complete with his number ‘9’ on the heel. Seeing anything but a ‘23’ on something Jordan-related felt strange at first but elevated this shoe to must-have status for many kids and collectors alike.
MJ won gold in this iconic shoe, but sadly Carmelo Anthony wasn’t able to do the same in ‘04 when he laced up a pair.
Nike Air Force 180 Low
1992
Though not an official signature shoe, Charles Barkley made the Nike Air Force 180 Low famous during the 1991-92 NBA Season. While the 76ers struggled, Barkley was a lone bright spot for the team putting up MVP-type numbers once again.
The Force could be found on his feet all season long with 180 degrees of Visible Air absorbing the impact of every single rebound the round mound pulled down. As the Olympics approached, we saw Chuck lacing up Forces once again in an Olympic colorway.
These too would see a retail release, remaining one of the most sought-after retros no matter how many times they drop.
Ewing Athletics Eclipse
1992
The Ewing Athletics Eclipse is the only non-Nike sneaker to appear on this list, and for good reason.
While other players had their numbers stitched on their shoes, only two players had their actual names on the shoes: Michael Jordan and his buddy Patrick Ewing.
Long before Jordan had his brand in 1997, Pat started Ewing Athletics in 1989. The brand had seen major success on the East Coast with Foot Locker having a tough time keeping them in stock. A variety of models dropped every year with each pair bearing ‘EWING’ somewhere on the shoe.
When he laced up the Eclipse in ‘92 en route to a gold medal, it elevated the brand to international status.
Nike Air More/Much Uptempo
1996
Like MJ in ‘92, Scottie Pippen was coming off of a huge season in which he helped guide the Bulls to an NBA Championship.
During the playoffs, Pippen debuted a new Nike sneaker, which arguably stuck out more on the court than Jordan’s Air Jordan 11. The Nike Air More Uptempo featured full-length Air Max and the words ‘AIR’ on the side, making it an instant classic. Every kid old enough to pick out their shoes was begging for a pair. But at $140, the average parent couldn’t afford them.
As the 1996 Olympics started in Atlanta, we saw players like Gary Payton and Reggie Miller wear a trimmed-down version of the ‘AIR’ shoe, the Much Uptempo with an affordable $90 price tag.
Pippen continued to lace up the More in an Olympic-themed colorway complete with his number ‘8’ on the heel.
Nike Air Max CB34 PE
1996
Charles Barkley’s signature line runs deep. It’s considered by many to be the best Nike has ever produced outside of Michael Jordan.
Sir Charles played on his second Olympic squad in 1996 and laced up the Air More Uptempo during the team’s early games. However, we started to see him in an Olympic-themed Nike Air Max CB34, a model he wasn’t very fond of nor had he worn much.
Though popular among consumers, Chuck wasn’t a fan. Thus, we never saw this pair get an official release. However, it was still great to see him wearing them in some capacity.
Air Jordan 6 “Olympic”
2000
As the 2000 Olympics rolled around, MJ had been retired and was eight years removed from his last Olympic Games. However, that didn’t keep him from having one of the most memorable Olympic releases we’ve ever seen in the Air Jordan 6 “Olympic” colorway.
Ray Allen and Vin Baker, both members of Team Jordan/Jordan Brand, debuted the brand new colorway of the Air Jordan 6 in Sydney.
With the release of the AJ6, Jordan Brand applied the “Olympic” treatment to the signature shoes MJ won his first two titles in.
We’ve seen these retro numerous times with another release in 2024.
Nike Shox BB4
2000
While many players wore the Nike Shox BB4 during the 2000 Olympics, one player put them on the map forever.
Vince Carter’s dunk over Frederic Weis is perhaps the greatest dunk of all time and every single person who loves shoes knows what Carter had on his feet during that historic moment in time.
Shox technology had been released earlier in the year to much fanfare with models like the R4. But it was the BB4 on the feet of Vinsanity that had many believing they made you run faster and jump higher.
This sneaker was released in numerous colorways, becoming one of the most worn in the NBA during the 2000-01 season.
Air Jordan 2 PE
2004
The 2004 Olympic Team left much to be desired.
While most countries would be thrilled to win a bronze medal, fans expected more from Team USA.
Where the team lacked in functionality, they didn’t miss a beat when it came to sneakers.
Carmelo Anthony especially was breaking necks with his sneaker choices. One in particular was a Player Exclusive (PE) colorway of his favorite shoe, the Air Jordan 2.
Many shoes on this list have seen a retail release, aside from the AJ2 PE. 20 years later and many of us are still (im)patiently waiting for these to drop.
Nike Hyperdunk
2008
In early 2008, Nike tapped signature athlete Kobe Bryant to unveil its newest basketball sneaker, the Hyperdunk.
The Nike Hyperdunk combined two new features from the brand: Flywire technology and Lunarlite Foam.
Though Kobe had been wearing his third signature shoe for most of the season, he still debuted the Hyperdunk in April 2008.
The shoe’s popularity began to rise quickly and we saw many players, including Kobe, lacing up an Olympic-themed colorway during The Redeem Team’s run to Gold.
Nike LeBron 10+ SP “Gold Medal”
2012
Twenty years after MJ and the Dream Team took the world by storm, LeBron James and his squad were looking to do the same.
James won his third MVP and first NBA Championship during the 2012 season. King James was an Olympic Gold Medal away from one of the greatest personal seasons in basketball history.
When that Gold Medal game arrived, James busted out the tenth incarnation of his signature shoe. Complete with a backward Swoosh and visible full-length Zoom Air, the Nike LeBron 10 had become an instant classic before the end of the game.
Before the Gold Medal Game, early samples and leaks built the shoe’s anticipation before its on-court coming out party. To finally see the real finished product on the largest international stage was a treat for many sneaker and basketball fans.
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